Johannesburg - South Africa prepared on Monday for a
massive memorial in the FNB Stadium in Soweto honouring Nelson Mandela, where
an eclectic mix of world leaders will eulogise the anti-apartheid icon before a
crowd of nearly 100 000 mourners.

As a prelude to the stadium event, UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon and retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke at an event at the Nelson
Mandela Centre of Memory on Monday night.

"What a fantastic gift God gave to us in this
Mandela, who quickly became an icon, a global icon of forgiveness, of
generosity of spirit," Tutu said.

"He really was like a magician with a magic wand,
turning us into this glorious, multi-coloured, rainbow people," said Tutu.

At the Soweto stadium where Mandela made his last public
appearance at the 2010 World Cup, workers busily constructed a stage protected
by bulletproof glass for Tuesday's memorial.

Police promised "thousands" of officers would
secure the stadium, though security appeared lax on Monday and a security
company owner used his small car as a mobile office to hire guards just at the
stadium.

Nearly 100 heads of state are expected at the 95 000-capacity
FNB Stadium, where some mourners are already camped out to be the first ones
inside.

Officers will direct traffic, protect mourners and help
the bodyguards of visiting dignitaries, Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale, a
spokesperson for SAPS, said on Monday.

"We will be on hand to make sure people are able to
grieve in a safe environment," Makgale told AP.

Makgale said a joint taskforce of police, diplomats and
intelligence service personnel already have been making plans and talking to
the foreign delegations who plan to attend the ceremony.

Makgale said police were prepared for Tuesday's event,
which also will include speeches from Mandela's family and friends.

"Whether we have 10 heads of state coming or 70 or
100, we do have the capacity and plans in place to facilitate their
movement," Makgale said.

US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle left
Washington for Johannesburg aboard Air Force One on Monday. In a rare
get-together, they were joined by former president George Bush, his wife Laura
and former first lady Hillary Clinton. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy
Carter are travelling separately to South Africa.

Speakers

A programme showed Obama would speak, as would UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao.

Others speakers include Brazilian President Dilma
Rousseff, Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba, Indian President Pranab
Mukherjee and Cuban President Raul Castro. President Jacob Zuma will give the
keynote address.

Though security remains a concern, an AP reporter walked
unsearched into the stadium on Monday by showing only a national press card
issued in Europe.

It took about three minutes before a security officer
asked journalists to leave the stadium's field. However, reporters freely
roamed throughout the stadium and walked the aisles to see the ongoing stage
construction.

Officials from the US Consulate in Johannesburg also
toured the venue on Monday, but declined to speak to journalists.

Programme

Here's a look at some of the scheduled events and
speeches in chronological order:

Meanwhile, a private security firm called Sidas Security
was still hiring guards for Tuesday's event on Monday, using a compact car as
an office.

Sidas manager George Mathabe said the company will have 1
500 guards on duty on Tuesday.

"I'm doing this from the bottom of my heart, just to
thank Tata," Mathabe said.

"My son is coming tomorrow as a visitor too. He's
going to live in a free country. He's going to be able to do whatever he likes
thanks to Tata."

Roads several square kilometers around the stadium will
be closed Tuesday, and people will have to walk or take public transport to the
stadium.

Mandela died on Thursday at age 95. After the stadium
memorial on Tuesday, Mandela's body will lie in state at the Union Buildings,
the seat of government in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, from Wednesday to
Friday.

He will be buried Sunday in Qunu, the Nobel Peace Prize
laureate's rural hometown.

Parliament held a special session on Monday in honour of
Mandela.

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe opened the proceedings
with a speech describing how the icon's death caused a "sweeping feeling
of sorrow" around the world.

"He belongs to all humanity," Motlanthe said.
He added: "Mandela's ideals saturate the face of the Earth."

DA leader Helen Zille said South Africa inherited
"an enormous responsibility" from Mandela to ensure everyone had
"freedom you can use."

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